the 41st week

Mandy & me chilling on our balcony

Monday. Tori and I opened together, and I served Pippin from Lord of the Rings a shot of espresso. I went to The Anchor before heading to the Loth House to see John, Brandy, Amos, Blake and Traci. Once the Bengals/Steelers game started, I headed home and spent the rest of my evening hanging out with Corey and Kevin.

Tuesday. Sarah called off sick again, so Chloe and I two-manned it until 11:30. Mandy did a spectacular job cleaning the apartment, really put me and Corey to shame. I fixed pork chops, mac & cheese, potatoes with gravy, and a side of garlic loaf for dinner and watched episodes of NBC's Revolution.

Wednesday. Eric and I opened, and after work I ran by Walk of Joy--a Christian nonprofit seeking to help the developmentally disabled acquire life skills for more independent living--to apply for a job. Sarah B. recommended me, so we'll see! I went to The Anchor and continued plowing--or, rather, plodding--through Michael Gorman's Cruciformity. It's simply phenomenal: I can ingest it only bits at a time, there's so much to ponder. Mandy started her new job at Lifespring today. I picked up Wendy's for dinner and watched some Revolution. I lit some candles and chilled out colonial-style before bed.

Thursday. Chloe and I opened, a solid shift. I ran by Meier's after work to get some oil lamps, and I spent the evening playing Birds of Steel, watching Revolution, and writing. Come dusk I lit candles and the oil lanterns. Perhaps it's because they have a "colonial" taste, but I've always liked oil lamps. They remind me of simpler times, when your main concerns were frontier raids by the Indians and representation (or lack thereof) in Parliament.

Friday. Eric and I opened, and I made $60 in tips. I headed to Ams' apartment after work, and we hung out for a while and then grabbed dinner at Red Robin with Mom and Dad. I went with the Royal Robin (as always) and their "Screaming Red Zombie," a mixed drink made with rum and orange juice. Flooding rainstorms swept through all evening, and I used weather.com to chart a path home from Ams' apartment between storms, since my engine has a tendency to flood when it rains. "She's not exactly a Prius." The best description of my car EVER.

The Last Day of Summer. I went to The Anchor to do some writing before meeting up with Andy: we went to the 1/2 Price Books blowout sale at the Sharonville Convention Center (I got some GREAT books on colonial America, and he got two Tom Robbins first editions) and then treated ourselves to a late lunch at Cracker-Barrel. I had their fried catfish paired with hush-puppies, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, dumplings, and loads of cornbread. (Might I add that I certainly noticed the restaurant's adoration of oil lanterns: they had them on every table!). Back at the apartment we watched Matchstick Men, and come nightfall I lit my oil lanterns and watched "Revolution" before falling asleep. I woke at 1:15 AM to a solid 2-hour conversation with the Wisconsinite. I didn't miss sleep for one bit of it.

The First Day of Autumn. I visited The Anchor (surprise, surprise) and did some writing for three hours. Mandy surprised me, swinging by the diner on her way home from a crazy night out in Covington, and she ordered a coffee and apple- and whipped-cream topped waffles. I headed downtown to do the food order before church, and I ended up stuck in traffic for twenty-five minutes because of all the chaos: roads were closed because of Oktoberfest, traffic was gridlocked on every street, most garages were full and those that weren't were $15-20 a car. So I winged the order and since there was no way I'd make it to U.C.C., I went to Amos' for a bit and then spent the evening back home hanging out with Ams, Mandy and Corey. I went to bed around 10:00 and woke around 11 to talk with the Wisconsinite, but I don't remember much of it 'cause I was half-asleep. I'm sure it was good though!